


Hero's Revenge: The Cliched Story of Superheroes, Vengeance, and Love

by inadistantworld



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Action & Romance, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Briarwood Arc, Campaign 1 (Critical Role), Cliche, Eventual Smut, F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-20
Updated: 2018-08-03
Packaged: 2019-03-21 04:16:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13732956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inadistantworld/pseuds/inadistantworld
Summary: Vox Machina, a group of powered vigilantes who saved the Governor's life and are now respectable heroes in the eyes of the public, might be hitting a complicated time in their careers. After finally getting used to the fame, the relative leniency they now had from the law when they were doing their hero work, the steady pay, and, arguably the best of all, a great decline in supervillains looking to ruin the city, they're met with a new, and much darker, story arc.Percy has kept his very cliched tragic backstory from his friends, simply telling them was the only one who survived a brutal attack in his family and his family may have had prominent standing in a small city, but one can only run from their demons for so long before they come back, usually with more teeth. And, in a rare afternoon of relaxation when the news is running in the background, Percy hears the names "Delilah and Sylas Briarwood" and they're meeting with Governor Uriel Tal'Dorie to discuss building a road between Emon and Whitestone. What would normally be a case of boring politics is anything but when Percy tells his friends that the Briarwoods have other names, "The Lord and Lady", and are the supervillains who destroyed his entire life.





	1. A Hero Trying to Avoid His Tragic Backstory Will Only Ask It To Fuck Him Harder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do I have too many projects going on in my life? Yes. Do I believe Vox Machina should be turned into a Modern Day Superhero AU with cliched tropes, terrible super villains you want to see more of, all those perc'ahlia feels I'm constantly having, and also want an excuse to not do my professional writing? Also yes.  
> Hope you guys like superheroes and really long chapter titles. It's just like writing the Faire fic all over again, how many words can I fit into the chapter title line?  
> I don't want to spoil it for you but the more cliches I can fit in here the better. If you have more ideas on your favorite superhero cliches please drop them in the comments for me so I can put them to use.  
> Thanks for reading you guys, I do it all for you (and so I can avoid work).

A tragic origin story was to be expected in their line of work. It wasn’t a requirement but people who had happy childhoods usually lacked the drive to do this. Instead they would usually settle for being every day heroes. Firefighters, teachers, scientists. They used their powers in average ways, if at all. Sometimes they kept them hidden from the world. And sometimes they went dark, used their powers for selfish gain and innocents got caught in the middle, they were the villains people used to put in comic books.

And the people with the rotten childhoods that didn’t become villains? Sometimes they faded back in with the rest of the world. Sometimes they wore masks and went after the villains the cops couldn’t take care of themselves.

Of course there were some people who truly believed in doing good without the painful suffering at the hand of a villain or the murder of close family haunting them. There were some people who put the mask on because they believed they could do so much more with it.

Pike Trickfoot was one of these people. Her childhood wasn’t perfect, they never are, but it was not what people would have considered an origin story. She was raised by her grandfather, a true believer of Sarenrae the goddess of light and healing, which made sense when her power to heal came into play. Pike believed Sarenrae gave her that power to do this very thing, though she put it to good use in the hospital she worked in as well. Pike was the last person to be pinned as a vigilante.

Keyleth was a florist. Her father was the leader of the Ashari in the mountains, a small clan of people who kept to their old ways, and she was supposed to take over next. It was part of being a leader, she said, to go and experience the world. She took on fighting villains in costumes because she couldn’t bear to watch more people suffer at their hands.

Grog, to put it very simply, was always looking for a fight. He was also always watching out for Pike who was practically his sister. He had been adopted into the Trickfoot home after his family abused and left him and he believed it was the single greatest thing that ever happened to him. The second was his super strength, even if it made it hard to find someone who could stand up to him in a fight.

Scanlan started this life after his mother was killed by a lowly gang with a few powered people in it, acting like they were the next hot thing to take over Emon. He decided to show them what real power was like. He killed the ones who took away his mother and, after seeing a low-quality photo of himself in the paper with the headline, “New Hero Protecting the Streets?” he decided he liked the secret fame and stuck with it. When he met Pike and the others, well he decided he might stay for more than just a cool name in the papers.

Vex’ahlia and Vax’ildan were exactly the kind one would expect to be the painfully relatable anti-heroes turned true heroes. Their mother had been killed by a powerful and unknown villain, they were taken in by a father they could never be good enough for who hated their powered backgrounds, powers that they used to stay alive on the streets when they ran away. Vax even became involved in an underground crime organization named the Clasp. But at their core it was obvious they were still good, not only were they redeemable but, for the most part, they did not need redemption. Their hearts were always in the right place and after they met the rest of the gang they really got to business doing good.

And then there was Percival. If there had been people analyzing Percy like he was a comic book character they might have said he was meant to be a villain and the audience got to attached and the creators folded under the pressure and kept him. Percy’s backstory was filled with betrayal that led to murder, shadowy demons that gave him his powers, while some of the others showed gray morality Percy was willing to put any life at risk if he believed in the end it would be for the greater good. It was others who handled the bleeding-heart shtick, Percy was the one who said terrible things that needed to be said. He was a man of contradictions, in fiction it might have been argued as either continuity errors or signs of a deeply conflicted and flawed, but ultimately lovable, character. He had an ego that was not to be rivaled, he was the smartest one in the room at any given time, handsome and he knew it, he came from a rich family, his power was strong, and he believed he could handle anything from deals with demons to diplomacy to supervillains. And in the same breath there was something he knew about himself and it was that he was terrible. He was dark and he was awful and while he could handle it sometimes, because he knew he wasn’t exactly wrong, he knew it made the others far better than him.

Especially Vex’ahlia. She was everything he could never hope to be. And that was possibly the hardest part of loving her.

But Vex had never been deterred from a little darkness. In fact, she’d be lying if she said it wasn’t a little hot.

 

Origins are important things, perhaps more important than secret identities. Vox Machina, as the group of heroes went by, had told each other their true names long before they told them why they became heroes. But the stories had come out after two years of working together, up until recently breaking the law and spending most of their hours of the day worrying that they’d be caught was how they spent most of their time. But eventually all their stories were told but one. Percy simply said his family had run a town that made its money off of mining and lumber and that they had been killed. He did not say how, by who, what happened to the town (which was technically a city), he simply moved on. And, because there is nothing more impolite for heroes to ask about, everyone let him.

But heroes trying to escape their pasts do so in vain, especially heroes who made deals with demons of vengeance.

 

“The Briarwoods, one of the most renowned couples in the country after their actions during the illness that swept through the city of Whitestone, is meeting with Governor Uriel Tal’Dorei to discuss building a direct road between the two cities to help facilitate trade and help Whitestone recover from the hardships they are still struggling with. The city, still declared unsafe by local doctors and the CDC, has begun mining whitestone once again, hopefully a sign that its people will be back on the rise. Though we all are watching with baited breath to see if this time recovery sticks. We’ll keep you updated with more on this story throughout the weekend. And now—”

Percy paused the news before the moved on to the sports or whatever. He stared at the image in the top corner of the screen over the blonde reporter’s shoulder. Delilah and Sylas Briarwood standing on the steps to the capital building, waving out to cameras and smiling their unnaturally beautiful and charming smiles. He was very familiar with that image, only it had been his home and his parents standing with them.

Percy vaguely wished that he was someone else and could simply read about the flashback that he had with the faces of the Briarwoods. The best flashbacks in his opinion, both in comics and film, were in black and white. That way the audience was sure when it started and when it ended, it also had the benefit of being aesthetically pleasing and gave the impression that it was something the protagonist had moved on from and it was remembered through a clouded lens and all of the terrible things were distant memories that were sometimes more exaggerated than they really had been.

But this was not a comic book or a movie and Percy remembered it all vividly with his entire body. Even the smell of blood mixed with dirt and his own…to put it politely, waste, stuck in his nose like how it does when you’ve spent too long around sulfur lakes in those national parks. Percy didn’t just experience a flashback, he lived it.

 

They’d killed his family. It was mind numbing and quick, it had happened in the night. The Briarwoods came, they smiled, the de Rolos offered their hospitality and the Briarwoods accepted it gracefully. They ate, they talked, and Percy and his siblings went to bed. And they woke hours later to screaming. Howling. Shrieks of pain. Percy had no words for the sound. Bloodcurdling could have explained what it did to him, it made his body clench up, drew a slow-moving shiver through his body, made his mind go white, but it didn’t express the sound. A howl came close but there was more pain to it and it was sharper than a howl is often thought of.

Percy ran out to the hall where he saw some of his siblings already looking about. Julius, always the quickest to action (well, good action at least, the twins were quicker to mischief) shooed them away. He grabbed his baseball bat, the one from his high school games, and told his siblings he would find them later. He tried to get Vesper to go with them but woe unto anyone who tried to control Vesper and she wouldn’t let Julius go alone.

Percy wasn’t sure how it happened, he knew this house like the back of his hand, it was his house. He would like to say that he looked away from his other siblings who were running the opposite way, looking for a good place to hide, and simply took a different turn. But there was no truth to that and even if Percy couldn’t remember exactly why he had taken the turn he knew the base of it was fear. When you are preparing to fight someone there is safety in numbers, when you are running from something you could never hope to overpower there is only danger in them.

Perhaps it was because Percy was alone that he was found last after all.

Perhaps it was because it was Anna Ripley, or as she was referred to in the papers The Doctor, found him that he was allowed to live.

The cost of his life was not a price he would have been willing to pay, even now he often wondered if the price was worth it. But it was not up to him and the woman who made his decision did not care.

In the months that Percy was in the basement of his childhood home with Ripley she told him many things, because in all probability he would die, and if he didn’t die he would be locked in a basement with no one to tell. So Ripley told him about the Briarwoods first.

They were from Wildemount. The Lord and Lady. Notorious villains with terrible powers and wicked minds. The reason they’d left the continent was because they had come close to finally getting caught, a band of bright eyed heroes finally had them on the run so they needed the change of scenery. Why they had chosen Whitestone Ripley did not say, Percy wasn’t even sure she knew.

To be honest Percy was in no state to even think about it.

It was long into their ‘relationship’ that Ripley began to talk about herself. The first time was out of frustration. Percy, in clothes that were barely more than rags now, with overgrown hair that hung in his blank eyes (he did not know because he couldn’t see it yet but the roots were now coming in white), with dried blood caked in the creases of his body and the lines of his hands, sitting in his cell while Ripley fumed. It was years before he even registered what she had said.

Ripley was also from Wildemount. She was also running. The Doctor, they called her, because that’s what she had been. A doctor. Ahead of her time, she called herself. Everyone else was so scared of true power, powers like hers and the Briarwoods, a superstitious lot who believed that there was something wrong with powereds. That mankind was not meant to have magic in them, to be able to fly, to shapeshift, to control elements. A country that didn’t believe in superpowers but dark magics and curses.

She spat on the floor beside her to illustrate her distaste and it mixed with the dry dirt.

“I was helping them,” she growled and peered into her microscope. “I was saving them!” She jerked away with obvious frustration. “I could have made them an army of powereds, so what if some of the weak died in the search for the truth.” She paced the room with long, heavy strides. Percy’s dull eyes didn’t look up to watch her. “The lives I would have saved would be countless! But no, they get worked up over those who were not strong enough to take my experiments, they hunt me down, call me a monster, call me The Doctor like it’s some kind of shameful thing! Like I’m some animal!” In a fit of anger she gripped the edge of one of the tables covered in notes and books and flipped it over. Papers fluttered to the ground, small vials broke, pens were scattered everywhere. “They chase me from the country, from my home.” Ripley’s eyes, suddenly bright with a thousand emotions and not a single one of them good, “They didn’t want me? That’s fine. But they’re going to regret it, I’m going to make sure. And you, Percival, are going to be my first success.”

Percy did not even blink.

The experiments went on and Ripley did not have another outburst like that again, instead she maintained a painfully cool exterior. Percy watched rats become violent and die, rats become invisible for a short time and then not invisible when they died, rats fly and then die, rats shape shift into something and die, rats that grew wings and died. Perhaps someone else would have given up, but with each rat Ripley felt she was only getting closer to it.

Her goal was to give average people powers. To level the playing field for everyone again, or just give certain people she powers. It could be used to an army, it could be used for the systematic collapse of a society, and just about everything in between. But first it needed to work.

When she decided that it was the rats who were the issue, that rats just couldn’t handle it like people, she began bringing in Whitestone citizens. Percy recognized a few of them but for the most part he didn’t look. It always ending the same. They always died.

And one night Ripley grew tired of waiting.

“This is it, Percy,” she said with hushed excitement as she buckled the heavy leather strap over his chest, “I’ve got it this time, I know I do.” She buckled another at his waist. “You’ll be my first.” Then his ankles. “After everything you’re still alive, you’re stronger than the rest, you’ll live through this too.” Percy said nothing as she did the final strap across his forehead to keep his head from moving. Then she looked at him and shrugged, “Or if you’re still too weak, you won’t. Either way I will learn something from you.”

Ripley filled a syringe with something and found a satisfying vein on Percy’s left arm to stick it in, and as Percy’s blood felt like it was being lit on fire he felt a strange tiny bit of peace in the back of his mind. They all ended in death. He was finally free.

But it was not to be so. It could hardly be an origin story if the hero died before he got his powers.

When Percy opened his eyes he was standing in front of a dark, shadowy shape that loomed over him. “You are dying,” it said coldly.

“I know,” Percy answered.

“You do not have to be.” Percy did not answer that. “You could escape.” Percy still did not answer. “I could give you my power,” it hissed in his ear, “You could leave your prison, escape into the world, you could be free.” Percy felt nothing, no hope, no distrust, no sense of inner peace with his ending. Percy felt nothing at all, so the offer meant nothing to him. And then the thing said, in a voice that felt like a gentle breeze at his ear, that crawled through him and settled into his chest, that filled his nose with the scent of smoke and death, “I could give you the power to have your revenge.”

And for the first time in an unknowable amount of time Percy’s eyes had a flicker of emotion in them and he felt something that started as a spark in his chest, in the center of the heavy feeling that had flooded him, and quickly grew to a blaze that filled every inch of his body. Percy felt anger.

In his dream Percy made a deal with Orthax, and when he woke in his cell Ripley was bent over her table fuming about how it should have worked. When he sat up and a small groan escaped him as he held his head she didn’t even look over to him, “So you live,” she sneered, obviously displeased. “We will try again tomorrow.”

She bustled about for a few minutes, changing equations on one of the many whiteboards and writing in her journals. Then her phone buzzed and she scowled when she read the message on it. “I will be back tonight.” And she left.

Percy was suddenly wracked with a coughing fit that brought up a thick mucus that tasted sour and gritty, and when he spit it out onto the dirt floor he saw it was black. What that meant, he did not know, but somewhere in the back of his mind he wondered if Orthax had in fact been a dream.

A few hours after Ripley left him alone and Percy sat with his back to the wall and a pounding headache there was the sound of hurried footsteps coming down the stairs. Light and quick, not at all the sound of Ripley. Someone smaller perhaps, or at least faster.

When he looked up to see his new visitor he felt all the warmth leave his body and a chill take him over.

It was Cassandra, his sister, standing at the foot of the stairs with a white streak in her messy brown hair and wide eyes that darted around the basement before finally settling on him. “Percy,” she breathed quietly and ran to him.

Percy got to his feet and pointed to the desk and in a voice that broke in a thousand places due to the lack of use, he said, “She keeps the keys in the second drawer.”

Cassandra opened the drawer and moved through the stacks of papers and notebooks until she found the keys and ran back to the cell door and fiddled with the lock until it popped open. “We have to hurry, I’ll tell you everything later.” She grabbed his hand and rushed him towards the stairs.

Percy wanted to stop her, say that someone would catch them, that they needed to find another way out, but once they began running he found he didn’t have the breath for it. At the top of the stairs the door was already open and nobody in the hall. Nobody was in the next room either. Nobody stood at the doors. It was like the mansion was completely empty except for the two de Rolos.

“She told me—” Percy was panting, his legs burned, his chest heaved, he couldn’t get enough air into his lungs. How long had it been since he even walked a fair distance? “—that you were all dead, that they killed everyone but me.”

Cassandra didn’t look at him, her eyes darting from place to place as she led him though the twists and turns of their escape to the back door. “They didn’t find me. I’ve been hiding ever since—” her voice stopped but Percy knew.

“I’m sorry,” he wanted to say more, say he was sorry for abandoning her, that he was sorry for running, that he was sorry he couldn’t protect her.

She finally looked over her shoulder at him and with the teasing smile of a younger sister to her older brother she said, “Just don’t do it again.”

“I swear it,” he breathed.

They ran. Sometimes Cass would stop him, count the seconds, peak around the corner, and they would be running again. It was obvious she was experienced in avoiding those who were wandering the mansion and that she had planned this expertly. Perhaps that was why it was such a shock.

They made it out of the mansion and Percy tasted fresh air on his tongue and it filled his lungs and the sky was as dark as ink above him. There was snow on the ground under their bare feet and Cass let go of his hand as they ran towards the woods behind their old home, now the lair of The Lord and Lady and their friend The Doctor. There was a sudden, single shot that echoed in the air. Percy thought it was him at first, that after all of it they caught him just feet away from his freedom.

But no pain came and his feet didn’t stumble. When he looked back to Cassandra he saw a dark shape lying in the snow, perfectly still.

A choked sob escaped Percy’s throat and another shot sounded and less than a foot to his right the snow exploded as a bullet missed its true mark. So Percy broke his promise and kept running, leaving his sister dead in the snow.

It was a very long time before the others found him.

 

“Darling?” A soft, delicate hand touched his shoulder and the too vivid memory faded and he looked over to see Vex looking at him with concern in her dark brown eyes. “What’s wrong? You got very quiet.”

He hummed his agreement and looked back to the TV. “I—” he licked his lips, “My family was killed by The Lord and Lady.”

Silence filled the room and Grog’s rumbling voice said, “What? That couple from Wildemount?” Ain’t nobody heard about them in years, probably dead.”

Percy shook his head. “They killed my family to quietly take over the city we had run, Whitestone.” Everyone fell quiet. Years ago illness swept through Whitestone, so contagious that it had been quarantined off. The Briarwoods had been not only kind enough but brave enough to enter the city, saying they didn’t care if they lost their lives doing it, they had been friends of the de Rolos and they could help keep the city together while they fought the disease. Strangely the two remained unaffected by the sickness, many people said it was the grace of the gods that kept them safe. It had been in the papers for a while and then when it became obvious the city would not recover it became forgotten for less terrible news stories.

“They caused the disease?” Keyleth asked with a tight voice and a hand flew to her mouth like she couldn’t think of a more horrible thing. Normally she would have been right. Percy felt terrible to be the one to tell her that there were worse things that starting a disease that killed hundreds of people.

“There was no sickness at all. They made it up to lock the city down. The truth is that nobody knows what they are doing to the people in there, but I guarantee it is worse than the disease they made up. But we’re in luck, The Lord and Lady themselves have come to visit the Governor himself, and with our relationship with their gracious host I’m sure we can get in there and see what they’re really doing.” Wide, shocked eyes looked to the paused screen while they took in what he meant.

Percy looked back up to the screen where the Briarwoods stood frozen in front of the capital building with smiled and hands waving and he felt the cruel thing inside him shift like it was stretching itself out in his body and it whispered harshly in his mind, “ _Finally._ ”


	2. The Jenga Tower Has Fallen, I Repeat, The Tower Has Fallen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! Trust me I love this idea and I want to take it all the way to the end, I have all the long and terrible titles planned, I have the story blocked out, everything. I just didn't get much of a response to this story so I've put it on the bottom of my priorities list while I work on another one shot.  
> Anyways, I hope you like it and thanks for sticking around!

There wasn’t an argument in getting more information, which almost surprised Percy. He wasn’t sure if they were willing to go the lengths he would, but he could see they were resolved to find the truth and he was more than willing to go along for that. But while there wasn’t a debate about it, there were complications.

“We’re going in costume,” Scanlan said lightly as he tugged on a pair of tights, “and it was years ago. They won’t recognize you.”

Percy couldn’t explain it but he knew they would, “They can’t see me.” Part of him, a deeper dark part said he would kill the Briarwoods on sight and the logical side of him knew that wasn’t the best course of action. He still thought about it with undisguised hope.

Vax was lacing up his boots. “I would be more help if I wasn’t at the dinner. I could scope out their rooms during dinner to try and find out what they aren’t telling us.”

Vex felt the cold wave of panic wash over her for half a second before she pushed it away. Her brother was capable and he was right. He was probably their only chance to get some of that information and she wasn’t going to stop him from going after it just because she didn’t like the idea of him doing something dangerous without her. _Besides_ , she looked over at Percy who was sitting down in his everyday clothes, his hands on his knees and his leg bouncing up and down nervously, _whatever Vax finds will help Percy_ , she thought.

“I’ll make you invisible,” Vex offered. That was her primary power, though it did require some concentration she had honed her power for years and she and Vax had been using it for a long time. She didn’t have an offensive power, instead she relied on bows and arrows. She had seen a hero in an old comic long ago of a man without superpowers but was the best marksman and used special arrows to help his team. For a long time she wanted to name herself after him, instead she went for The Huntress.

Vax could sprout wings when he needed them and was faster than one could even imagine. His outfit was black and blended into the shadows. He wore a hood to cover his face for the most part, but he also used the cliché black mask over his eyes just in case. People called him The Raven in the papers but he didn’t seem to care what they called him.

More often than not they were called The Twins. Their costumes were almost exactly the same and they hadn’t hidden the truth of their relationship (not after the one time someone asked if they were dating and Vex thought she was going to throw up), so for the most part they appeared in the paper as The Twins.

Scanlan was ostentatious to say the least. Tights and a cape and a shirt that had a deep V in it to show off his chest. They had been telling him for ages his outfit was going to get him in trouble one day, but it was never once an issue. Perhaps because one of his powers was disguise. He could make someone look like someone else. It was dangerous and subtle, it also wasn’t in the papers. It was best for recon if nobody knew. What he was known for instead was simply called magic. He had a huge variety of things he could do, even surprising his friends at clutch moments in battle with something new. He also had somehow convinced the world to call him Burt Reynolds, no relation to the actual Burt Reynolds. He also wore a fake mustache to sell it while in costume.

But his power of disguise was what came in handy the night they went looking for the Briarwoods. “I could make you look like Vax. Uriel knows that Vex wouldn’t leave her brother home and all we have to do is tell Uriel you were feeling under the weather or that you’re working on something at home. It wouldn’t look strange as long as we’re careful.” Scanlan was easily the second strongest person in the group.

Grog finally spoke up now that Pike was done painting his face (when they didn’t have time for that he would wear a helmet with a spike on it that covered his face), “Why don’t we just tell Uriel the truth about ‘em and kill ‘em? Seems like we’re going through a lot of trouble for no reason.” Pike was now putting war paint on his back because Grog’s outfit did not include a shirt and Pike had told him he shouldn’t get any tattoos that would be so recognizable because it would defeat the whole secret identity thing.

Grog was physically the strongest, which made sense considering he had super strength (and though they couldn’t confirm it he could take hits that should kill a man and walk away with merely a bloody nose, he just didn’t take damage the way the rest of them did). His real name was already something unusual, so when he was asked what his name was by a reporter he said Phillip, and that was how they referred to him professionally now. Most people thought that was his real first name, that he had accidentally slipped up in the excitement and that they had gotten some amazing information. Really Grog just didn’t really give a shit or see the point in coming up with something better.

Keyleth was adjusting the main piece of her costume, a set of antlers. “Grog’s got a point. Uriel trusts us, I’m sure he would help us get to the truth. I don’t think we need to go behind his back like this.”

Scanlan was the second most powerful in raw strength and Keyleth made him look small. Keyleth had unprecedented power over the elements, which was where her hero name, Tempest, came from. Not just one, but all of them. In fact, it was more of a nature thing than anything else. She had preferences and certain skills she honed more than others, but she was insane. And as if power over nature wasn’t enough she had learned how to shapeshift into animals if she needed. It wasn’t something she did every day but it was useful and they took advantage of it. And most importantly she loved it.

She would deny it all day long, but in terms of sheer power she was the strongest of their group. She was also the one with the strongest moral compass and trusted the easiest.

“We can’t prove anything right now,” Percy answered and rubbed his thighs and tried to stop bouncing his leg. “If we go and tell him that they’re The Lord and Lady, even in private, they’ll have time to prepare. I can’t be positive but I believe Delilah has the power to…convince people. To charm them into doing what she asks. If she suspects something she’ll charm Uriel and we won’t stand a chance.”

Keyleth still looked uncomfortable about the whole thing but she nodded. She trusted Percy and she wanted to help him however she could. This time that meant hiding their intentions a little longer than she liked, but in the end they were still doing the right thing.

Pike looked at Percy and smiled. She had bright white hair like Percy’s but it was a different kind of white. Percy’s was sometimes tinted a gray purple from the smoke that drifted through it when he used his powers, there was a sharpness to his face and a hardness to his eyes that made his hair seem cold and dangerous. He looked too pristine, too perfect, and it made him look dark with his unnatural white hair.

Where Percy was shadows and smoke and danger Pike was the light. She wore gold and carried a bat to match Grog’s in case she needed it, but her true power was something Divine. It was the power of a goddess. She could heal her friends and others, something she subtly and secretly put to use when she could in her public life. Not everything could be fixed with her power but she could heal a broken arm, erase cuts, and if anyone asked if she was Everlight she would laugh lightly and say no, of course not, just a nurse/doctor trying to do some good. The other side of her power was simply the light. A painful light, one to incapacitate and harm villains who went against them. And it was this that made her white hair warm and a beacon of hope.

She wasn’t the biggest fan of how it was perceived. There was a scar that went down her eye that was not from innocently worshipping a goddess but maybe a brawl on a ship a couple of years ago where someone broke a bottle. She wore it as a badge of pride because “You should have seen the other guy”. Pike and Grog arm wrestled, they fought together, they made lewd jokes together, they drank together. Pike was never innocent, but she did embody the light. And it was perhaps what drew her to Percy in the beginning, the darkness she could see in him. Her feelings for him faded however as she and Keyleth became closer.

Percy was her friend and while she wasn’t one hundred percent sure hiding it from Uriel was the best idea, she did trust that he knew what he was doing and that there was a reason he wanted to do it this way. She believed in him.

Everyone finished suiting up except for Percy, he didn’t bother with his costume (the iconic pieces were a long blue coat and what looked like an old plague doctor’s mask, or in cases like a dinner where a full mask wouldn’t work he had a pair of heavy, steampunk styled goggles). Scanlan then crossed the room to stand in front of Percy and he held a hand out, “Maybe if we like you better like this we’ll make you look like him for good,” he teased lightly and then with the barest wiggle of his fingers it was done.

When Percy looked at his hands they had long thin fingers and different callouses on them than he was used to. He was busy looking himself over curiously, this was his first time not being himself, when Vex huffed out her response to Scanlan. “I’d rather Percy not look like my brother if he doesn’t have to, thank you.”

Across the room Vax cast a sly, knowing look to his sister that went unnoticed. Scanlan, who had maybe not realized what Vax did must have at least felt something under the surface because he asked, “Why not?”

“Because it’s fucking weird!”

Vex may have gone on but Percy-Vax stood and grabbed his mask. He hooked it onto his belt and it disappeared in the illusion. “Let’s not keep our friends waiting.”

 

Vax walked beside them invisibly but Vex was positive he was making weird faces behind her and Percy suspected she was right when she threw an elbow back and he heard a low “oof” from Vax who was standing a little too close to avoid it.

Her arm was looped through his and her hand rested on his arm comfortably as they walked beside each other. They were talking quietly as Vax and Vex might so they didn’t raise suspicions but also so Vex could give him advice and Percy could practice his Vax’ildan accent. It had many more curse words than he was used to and he wouldn’t lie, it was a little liberating, but Vex warned him to try and talk as little as possible. It helped that Vax was naturally broody in situations like this and wouldn’t talk much anyways.

Uriel’s guards let them in without even mentioning that Percy wasn’t there. The first person who seemed to even notice was Uriel.

“Welcome Vox Machina,” he had a wide smile and he gestured to the man beside him in a suit, “If you wish to leave your coats or masks at the door you can.” Most of them wore the same styled mask that covered the eyes and nose but in colors that matched the rest of their costumes. Percy was the one who deviated the most from this with his full coverage mask.

Vex tittered playfully at him and said, “I’m afraid we must insist once again that we keep them on.”

He nodded politely, “Of course.” He looked around them curiously, “We seem to be missing one of you. Wraith has always been one of the most noticeable with his accessories.” The black plague doctor’s mask rarely went unnoticed with the long hooked nose and goggle type lenses.

Vex nodded and put on her best concerned voice, “Yes, I’m afraid he’s ill. Vax was sick a few days ago,” Percy coughed weakly to sell it, the cough of someone recovering from their sickness, “and Percy seems to have caught it.”

Uriel looked at Percy-Vax seriously, “I hope you’re feeling better now. I would understand if you wished to recover at home.”

“I’m fine, the worst has passed.”

It was obvious Percy’s voice was a little wrong but Uriel must have thought it was from him being sick and nodded. “Very well. Our other guests are already here of course. Have you met Mr. and Mrs. Briarwood?” Uriel asked as he led them through the hall to the dining room.

“We haven’t had the pleasure,” Vex had a believable smile while Percy didn’t even seem to be trying. His body was tense, his eyes darted around the room and checked the shadows, and his lips formed a thin line.

“I’m not really in the political scene,” Scanlan said, “who are these Briarwoods? Their names sound dangerous,” he shimmied his shoulders playfully, “but as much as I love danger I had hoped for a quiet dinner with our friend and sponsor.”

Uriel chuckled, “I’m not your sponsor Reynolds, simply a man with the sway to make the police understand you are helping them and our city, not causing any danger. As for the Briarwoods they are far from dangerous. They are elected officials in the city of Whitestone.”

“Whitestone,” Scanlan tapped his finger to his chin in thought, “Is that the place that was on the news a while ago? Something about people getting sick or dying?”

If Uriel was disappointed in Scanlan for not knowing or expected better of him, he didn’t show it. He just nodded and said, “Yes, I’m afraid so. Almost the entire city fell ill, starting with the de Rolos who owned and operated many of the businesses there. A good family from what I understand. The Briarwoods were friends of theirs and when the city went into quarantine the Briarwoods willingly went in to help keep the structure of the city standing as there was nobody left to really make sure things continued to run.”

“Why hasn’t anybody left yet?” Grog asked.

“They still haven’t found a cure. The occasional doctor will go in, collect samples and talk to the people, but they’re highly contagious and can’t be let out yet.” Vex could see the weight of this on Uriel. Whitestone was a city in his state and the people of it were his people. Not only would it look bad on his political record if he ran for office again but he must have felt like he had abandoned people who needed him.

Percy knew which doctor would be collecting samples and spreading information about the illness, or at least which doctor would be reaching out to others willing to lie if it got them something they wanted. Anna Ripley. But this was not the place to bring it up, not yet, so he waited with his jaw clenched so tightly it ached.

Pike’s voice was cautious and careful when she asked, “If the city is so sick and nobody can leave, why are the Briarwoods here? Isn’t that dangerous?”

“It’s a miracle really,” Uriel answered, “they haven’t been infected. Any doctor who has checked them for signs of the disease has found nothing. My doctor even told me I should try to be as healthy as they are,” he joked. Vex could see it though, the looseness of his skin, the circles under his eyes, the heaviness in his shoulders. He was aging and the stress of his job was not helping. “They are trying to see if they can find a cure through them, but so far there has been no luck.”

“It’s strange how well you’ve been able to contain it,” Keyleth in a tone that she used when she was pushing for information or suspected that something wasn’t right. “With something as contagious as this I’m surprised that it hasn’t popped up anywhere else.”

“As am I,” Uriel replied, “but I suppose it must be that the gods are with us.” He paused in front of a large, dark wooden door that led to the dining room and said, “It is understandably a sensitive subject for the two of them and I suggest staying away from it tonight if possible.” He looked at Grog and Scanlan pointedly, though both didn’t seem to notice, and he then opened the door.

The Briarwoods sat towards the head of the table with their heads leaning towards each other as they talked quietly and watched the heroes come in.

Percy froze in the doorway when he saw them. Rage boiled in his blood and he felt a million curses on his tongue. His hands twitched at his side and he could feel the beginnings of smoke clinging to his fingers. His entire body was stiff and he couldn’t seem to move an inch until Vex softly pressed her fingers into him and drew him back to her.

Percy looked at her and her dark eyes were there to meet his. She gave him a small smile and then looked to the table, “Why don’t we sit down?”

Percy didn’t say anything, he found he couldn’t get the words out, or rather that if he did he would only say something that would send the entire mission down in flames. He nodded stiffly and she guided them over so that she was sitting within eyesight of their lips but a few seats down so that Percy didn’t have to stare at them the whole time and hopefully so it would be less obvious that she was reading their lips.

What Vex did not know was that her brother was close by, seeming to have forgotten the plan of snooping around during dinner and instead staying close to listen in on the Briarwoods without them knowing. He also forgot that his sister could read lips and therefore was not getting any new information.

So both he and Vex knew that between the slightly probing questions, the polite conversation, and subtle talk of business they were talking about how they were looking to finish their time here quickly, that they were eager to get back home, that the dinner was fine, and that they were ready to get back to bed (accompanied with sly looks at one another). To be honest they didn’t have anything particularly interesting or incriminating to say, which made sense because this was not exactly the place to talk about being supervillains.

And Percy stared down at his food and said little, only speaking up when someone asked him something or when he felt he had a unique thing he needed to bring to the table that needed to said, but other than that he just tried to keep the smoke from rising off him.

It wasn’t until dessert came that Vax decided to leave the dining room and go looking for the Briarwoods’ room. And it was not an easy search. There wasn’t something as simple as a sign on the door or posted guards, there were just hallways with dark doors that Vax carefully opened and found them to be empty rooms, conference rooms, closets, and basically everything except what he was looking for.

But with enough trial and error you can find anything you’re looking for.

An hour and twenty minutes later Vax slowly, silently, and invisibly pushed open another door and found exactly what he was looking for. It opened to a sitting room with black suitcases by the door, a pair of heels and men’s dress shoes off to the side, a black coat hung on the wall. The window was open across the room and the curtains moved with the breeze that came through. To the left Vax could see a hallway and to the right was a door.

On the other side of the building the others were trying to stall for time in the foyer. They hadn’t heard anything from Vax saying he was ready and the radio silence was making everyone nervous. They had agreed that he wouldn’t contact them unless he was finished or something had gone terribly wrong because the more he talked the higher chance of him getting caught, but they couldn’t just leave without him. So they waited, they chatted and moved slowly, Keyleth even started a conversation about a painting on the wall that lasted longer than anyone wanted it to.

And halfway through talking about the painting’s color and style and who the artist was, Vex felt the invisibility she had given her brother drop and she prayed that he was on his way out.

And in that second Vax took a step into the room and the Briarwoods stepped out of the hallway to the left. They both looked to the strange man in their room with an expression of what Vax could only believe was amusement. Delilah’s arm was looped through Sylas’ and she was leaning into him the way a wife in love would.

Vax looked down and saw his black clothes and looked back up to them. He tossed his hood back, thankful he had taken the mask off just in case someone saw him so he wouldn’t look like “The Raven”, and cleared his throat before adopting a more rustic and southern accent. “Oh my, I’m sorry, I seem to have gotten turned around. I’ll just,” he jerked his thumb over his shoulder and took a step back to the door without turning away from them, “I’ll just go. So sorry.”

Delilah crooked a finger at him and Vax froze, “My my, your outfit looks familiar.” So maybe losing the mask wasn’t enough.

“Oh this?” Vax tried to smile, “It’s nothing special. My uh, my friend got it for me because he knows how much I like The Raven and so I wear it to work ‘cause it makes me feel brave and sometimes they make me go on the roof to fix something up there. Gosh you guys are pretty,” Vax didn’t have to lie on the last part. The Briarwoods were a beautiful couple. They were striking and dark and intense and it would have been a good look on them if they weren’t evil. To be honest, it was still a good look, just not worth it. But Vax decided playing that card was better than getting killed.

Delilah looked over at her husband with a wicked grin and his eyes slid over to hers and his lips twitched up into a smirk. “How quaint,” he drawled and Delilah tossed her head back and laughed.

When she looked back at him her eyes had hardened and she shook her head slightly. “It was a nice attempt.” She looked back at Sylas, “Why don’t we take him to the bedroom?”

Vax had a very strong feeling they didn’t buy it, which meant whatever was in the bedroom was not good. Which meant he had to get the _fuck_ out of there. But his feet moved  of their own accord, slowly following after the couple. He watched Delilah whisper something in Sylas’s ear and heard him let out a low chuckle. They didn’t look back to make sure he was following, they didn’t even seem to care. It was an effortless, villainous look. Hot in the bedroom, terrifying in reality.

“Bedroom?” Vax kept the accent going, hanging onto the last thread of hope for dear life, “Oh wow. You would want to—with me? I’m flattered. Am I supposed to just watch or do you want me to participate? My safe word is,” he cleared his throat and reached up to scratch his ear and activate one of the few really cool tech pieces they had, essentially walkie talkies but they were in small gold earrings they all wore, “Jenga.”

Sylas looked over his shoulder for the first time with a smile that crawled along his lips. “I wouldn’t worry about that,” he said as they entered the bedroom.

Vax looked around him quickly, trying to come up with a plan even if he didn’t seem to have control over his body. The large four poster bed was in the center of the wall across from the door with silky red sheets and a heavy, dark blanket. The wood in the room was dark, the lights were old and too dim to feel very well lit. There was a window that was closed and had heavy curtains in front of it that Vax marked as an escape, hopefully the glass would break easily. The room looked like it was made for a two supervillains in love and somewhere in Vax’s mind he wondered why Uriel would style a guest room like this but he told himself he could question it later.

Vax swallowed and closed his eyes. He took two deep breaths and thought about his sister. Vex was his other half, she had been there since birth, she had never once left his side and he had vowed he would not leave hers. He couldn’t leave her now, not like this. And then he thought about Scanlan. The ridiculous, hilarious, vulgar man who owned his heart. The one who could always make him smile, who could always help him through the worst times, the one who helped him see that anyone could hurt and still overcome it.

And in the moment of sudden clarity Vax hurled himself at the window. He felt the curtains wrap around him and the hard glass shatter under him and then there was a moment of weightlessness that Vax knew intimately. “Jenga!” he shouted into his earring and began struggling to get his wings free of the curtain. “Fucking Jenga! The Jenga tower is falling!” And then he slammed into the concrete and everything went fuzzy from the impact.

The second everyone heard the first Jenga they were in action. They all but shoved Uriel out of the way, shouting for him to send people after them as they ran.

They heard a crash through the earring along with the rest of Vax’s Jengaing and Keyleth said it sounded like a window, which led Vex to call out “Courtyard!” and they raced ahead. Vex couldn’t be certain that’s where he would be and every step they took the panic got stronger. What if she was sending them away from Vax? What if she was taking them farther away from him? What if he died because she told everyone to go to the courtyard?

“Vex’ahlia,” Percy’s voice was calm, dark and rugged, but calm. Vex looked over at him and there was a disconnect in seeing her brother there but hearing Percy and she looked away before she could feel the sharp panic from seeing her brother and knowing he was in danger. She wondered what Percy had planned to say since he stopped there, but his voice settled something in her without him having to finish it. She puled her bow off her back and took an arrow from the quiver at her hip. She felt for the three lines Percy etched into some of them to tell her it was a smoke arrow. She decided that Vax would need the cover, no matter what position he was in.

When they reached the courtyard they saw a bundle of fabric on ground and the Briarwoods looming over it. Delilah had her finger pointed down at the bundle and Vex could see her mouth beginning to move and a soft green light building around her finger. And Vex let the arrow fly and screamed out, “Stay away from him, bitch!”

And that was when all hell broke out.

Dark gray smoke filled the space around Vax and Grog shouted a battle cry and threw himself in it, swinging his club madly. Pike followed him into the smoke and went to her knees beside the curtains and began pulling them off Vax. While she did that Vex nocked another arrow, one with a small triangle etched into it to tell her it was a flaming arrow, and readied a shot for when she had a good view. Keyleth shifted into a white tiger (affectionately known as Minxie) and leapt forward and raked her claws down Sylas’s arm.

Sylas hissed in pain and staggered back. Then he touched his fingers to the blood that was flowing from the deep wound, glared Keyleth down, and licked his fingers. Scanlan made a loud gagging noise and shouted, “Dude what the fuck?” but the words were no sooner out of his mouth than Keyleth yowled in pain and in a flash Keyleth was no longer a white tiger but a red headed superhero clad in green with a cape made of leaves, kneeling on the ground and gripping her shoulder in pain.

Vex let her arrow fly and it caught Sylas in the thigh and ignited. Scanlan whistled and a huge purple hand appeared in the sky and went to slap down on where Delilah had been in the smoke, but they didn’t hear any sound of pain from her and they doubted it connected.

Pike uncovered Vax and saw him lying unconscious with a smear of blood in his face. She laid a hand on him, closed her eyes, and whispered a prayer. Under her mask the scar that raked over Pike’s eye glowed with a golden light and Vax’s eyes fluttered open and he groaned. “There you go,” she said with a wide and charming smile, “Now let’s kick some butt.”

Delilah emerged from the smoke with a sneer on her lips and anger flashing in her eyes. She raised a finger to Vex and opened her mouth. Nobody heard what she said but the stone beside Vex shattered and the thunderous sound that came with it made her ears ring. And that was when Percy stepped forward, still wearing the image of Vax and the confusion showed on Sylas and Delilah’s face.

“There are two of you then?” Delilah’s voice was deceivingly light, like they couldn’t possibly be a threat to her and this was simply a game.

“The Lord and Lady in the flesh,” Percy’s voice dripped with ice, “and here I thought I’d never see you again.”

“See us again?” Sylas threw his head bac and laughed, his bloody hand rested on his stomach as he laughed and when he looked back at Percy-Vax there was a tinge of red to his eyes. “Boy, we’ve never seen you in our lives.”

Scanlan, being a master dramatic bitch, poked his head out from behind Percy, who now how smoke rising from his shoulders, he snapped his fingers and dropped the disguise spell to reveal the white-haired man with bright blue eyes.

“Percival de Rolo!” Delilah stepped forward with an effortless grace, “I thought you’d have died by now.”

“Didn’t they tell us they shot him as he ran away?” Sylas moved toward his wife and his blood-soaked hand touched the small of her back, “That he had crawled away wounded and they lost him in the woods but that it wouldn’t be an issue? They told us he would die in the snow.”

“It seems they were mistaken, my love.” She seemed more amused by this than anything.

Percy’s hands shook and the purple smoke around him darkened to an almost black. “Pray that Uriel’s guards reach us before I kill you,” he growled and the smoke around him shot out to Delilah like a lance and struck her in the shoulder, piercing her like a blade.

She staggered back and her hand flew to the wound, the smoke now wafting off her lazily. Blood welled up between her fingers and she sneered at Percy with open disdain. “As much as I would love to play this game with you, Percival, I believe I have better places to be.”

Her bloody hand reached out and grabbed her husband’s and in an instant they vanished.

Seconds later they heard footsteps rushing to the courtyard. Percy donned his plague doctor’s mask but Vex noticed the smoke hadn’t subsided yet like it normally did after a fight. Not only was it still there but it was darker and heavier than she was used to seeing. When the guards reached the courtyard they surrounded Vox Machina.

“They’re already gone,” Vex put the arrow in her hand back in her quiver and sighed heavily.

Percy stayed silent and didn’t move an inch. Not even when one of the guards pointed their gun at him.

When someone aimed theirs at Grog he hefted his weapon and went back into a fighting stance, daring someone to come towards him. Vax slowly drew his daggers. Vex left her hand on the end of her arrow. Pike didn’t let go of her bat but she was the first to speak. “Is something wrong?”

“Uriel has ordered us to take you to him,” one of the men grunted.

Keyleth looked like she felt betrayed, the shock in her eyes visible under the mask and her voice was filled with confusion, “You don’t need to be ordered, we would go willingly. We planned to see him anyways.”

They pressed on without even acknowledging Keyleth. “If any of you try to use your powers you will be stopped. If any of you make any threatening moves to the Governor you will be dealt with.”

Scanlan smiled and held up his hands, “I think you’re misunderstanding what just happened here, we stopped two supervillains from destroying this palace.”

“That’s for the Governor to decide.”

Scanlan shook his head, “No, it’s just a fact.”

One waved his gun at them, “Move.”

Vox Machina eyed each other and then slowly began to move back to the mansion. Whatever was going on it left a bad taste in all of their mouths but they realized they didn’t have another option.

Uriel was waiting for them in his office. He was sitting behind a desk staring at his computer. “Vox Machina,” his voice was colder than ice.

“What’s going on, Uriel?” Vex asked.

“What indeed?” he turned his screen around to show the heroes paused video footage of what happened in the garden. “Would you care to explain?”

Keyleth looked at Percy but he didn’t even seem to realize where he was. He was stiff and staring off in the wrong direction and didn’t even seem to care about what was happening right now. So next she looked at their front man, Scanlan.

And Scanlan didn’t disappoint. “They’re evil. I know they don’t look it but they want to kill people.”

Uriel pressed play. “They never once attacked you.” That was not exactly true but the video didn’t prove anything. Sylas put his hand to his mouth, Delilah pointed at them, there was nothing conclusive. “Vax jumps out of their window and you attack them all. You tried to murder two of my guests, two people who have been trying to save their city, who have sacrificed their way of life in order to keep Whitestone alive.” Pike opened her mouth but Uriel held up a hand to silence her. “Don’t speak or I will change my mind. Due to the great service you have provided Emon in the past and the fact that the Briarwoods are still alive I will not have you arrested.”

“You do realize they just vanished, right?” Grog asked gruffly.

“I have known of Delilah’s power for some time, but she rarely uses it. Her being able to teleport does not prove that she meant any harm and I suggest you remember that many people don’t use their powers. You won’t be arrested but you will no longer have any protection from me. Should you don these costumes again you will be arrested on sight for your actions. Disappear, live normal lives, and let the police do their jobs from now on.”

Keyleth stepped toward him, “Uriel—”

Uriel waved a hand and the group formerly known as Vox Machina was escorted away.

 

Percy said nothing on the way home and when they got back and were headed to the living room to talk he passed them all in a daze and went downstairs to his workshop.

Nobody stopped him. Vex watched him go and she almost followed but she looked around at everyone else and knew she should stay upstairs with them while they discussed what next.

It was surprisingly easy to decide what their next move was.

They all poured themselves and drink and when Vex had finished hers she said, “We have to get proof of who they are.”

“How?” Keyleth asked. “And honestly maybe Uriel is right, we went too far tonight. Maybe we aren’t the heroes we set out to be anymore. I mean did you see Percy?”

Pike hadn’t drank any of her whiskey and was just staring into the cup. “He needs our help.”

Grog grabbed another beer. “So we go find them and we put an end to them.”

Vax spoke up then, “I don’t think Uriel is in his right mind. Percy was right, the Briarwoods, they have a power that can make you do what they say. It’s very hard to break, I’m not sure Uriel knows he’s being controlled.”

Scanlan crossed his arms over his chest, “Then we definitely can’t stay here. If he finds out we’re poking around about these guys he really will arrest us.”

Vex looked around at her friends and said, “Then we go to Whitestone. We find out what’s really going on there and we stop them. And we help Percy.”

And everyone drank to that and so it was decided.

They would go to Whitestone.


	3. That Looks Like Foreshadowing To Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They sneak into Whitestone and it's worse than they thought

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm (probably) not dead! And I still love this idea and haven't left it! I promise! I was just in the middle of a crazy semester and in a weird mood, but I have a few weeks for summer vacation now for me to work on some stuff. Thanks for bearing with me, I hope you still like this idea and I hope you're having fun.  
> I almost put this chapter with the next chapter I'm working on, but this one finished at a little over 11 pages so it's best to cut them up. The next one is where we get some action, which I'm nervous about but I'm gonna do it anyways because I've built it up.  
> Unedited, as always, and it took a long time to do so I'm sorry if some things are repeated or not well written. If anything is super confusing or bad or the wrong name or something, feel free to let me know.

“They can’t stop us from leaving, they don’t know our identities. So long as we pack the costumes into our bags we shouldn’t attract any of the police’s attention,” Vax reminded his sister as he packed his bag.

Vex was sitting on his bed and was looking out of the window. She hadn’t started packing, there wasn’t much to bring. Her costume and her bow was all she would need. Vax took her quietness as nerves, but she was just thinking about Percy who was still holed away in his workshop. “He was different last night.”

Vax looked up at his sister and he nodded, “Well, he did see his family’s murderers for the first time in years.”

“I’m going to go talk to him.” Vex stood and strode out of the room with a confidence that she didn’t feel.

She knocked on the heavy door of Percy’s workshop, but he didn’t answer. “Percy, we’re almost ready to go,” she said through the door.

He didn’t say anything so she sat down with her back to the door and let her head rest against it. “We’re going to stop them,” she promised. “We’re going to save Whitestone. And we’ll make sure they can’t hurt anyone ever again.”

Inside the workshop Percy was sitting with his back to the door, he had been for the last two hours. “I appreciate this, truly, but I can’t ask you all to do this with me. This—this isn’t your problem.”

Vex couldn’t say that she was particularly tactile person. Not with most people at least. Her friends—her family—were the exceptions to the rule, and even then it was light. It was hugs and smiles and being close when things were good. When things were hard…well Vax braiding her hair was the most she wanted out of anyone. Except this time. She wanted to be on the other side with Percy and to…well she didn’t know what exactly, but she wanted to be there for him and have him be there for her. But that wasn’t an option, so she just said, “You’re one of us Percy, and that means your problems are our problems.”

“This is bigger than anything else we’ve done before, Vex. And it’s not just them. They have others. And powers that we could never fully grasp. They’re not like any villain we’ve fought before and it would be best for all of you if you just dropped this before we even got started.”

“Are you going after them?” Vex asked.

Percy didn’t answer and that was enough for her.

“Then we’re coming too. We’ll be in the living room when you’re ready.” Vex stood up and for a moment she let her hand rest against the door. “We’re with you, Percy.” And then she went to throw her things into a bag.

Percy did come up with a bag slung over his shoulder. There was utter silence in the living room while the group known as Vox Machina looked at each other for a good, long moment. Pike took a deep breath and touched Percy’s arm, then she turned and walked out of the door. She nodded at him. Grog punched his shoulder a little too hard for the thin, lean man and followed Pike. Scanlan bowed his head, tipped his hat, and when he looked up there was a fake mustache on his lip. He winked and joined the others outside. Keyleth started and stopped twice before touching his shoulder and giving it a small squeeze. She looked like she wanted to say something but couldn’t seem to find the right words, and so she followed suit in leaving the building in silence. Vax put his hand on top of Percy’s head and ruffled the stark white hair in an awkward way that an older brother would do when he was finally trying to bond with his younger brother. And that left Vex alone with him.

Vex walked over to him slowly. She hesitantly touched his cheek and she tried to give him a comforting smile, “We’re with you, darling.” She dropped her hand and tilted her head to the door. Percy closed his eyes and took a slow, deep breath before he followed her out.

 

Scanlan took control of the aux cord in the car, playing a mix of his original music as well as ridiculous meme songs. It was one of the many things Vex loved about Scanlan. She loved everyone in her family, she would take a bullet for any of them (she had already for a lot of them), but she and Scanlan understood each other in a way that went largely unnoticed. They were two completely broken and shattered people who were very good at masks and there was something in that, and in many things, that made that connection so much stronger. To everyone in the car it looked like Scanlan was just being ridiculous, perhaps not even taking the situation seriously enough. Vex saw it though. He played his songs carefully, always choosing one ahead of time, he told jokes at the right time, he told big stories when there was a stretch of quiet that was on the verge of looming over them, and most noticeably he was constantly gauging the mood around him. Scanlan was desperately looking for ways to make everyone smile. It didn’t always work, a few times the others got annoyed, but without Scanlan there would have been an immense dread in the car. The others didn’t have to see it, but Scanlan was doing everything he could to keep them going.

When it came down to the hard moments, it was Scanlan’s sheer force of will that kept them from utterly falling apart. Scanlan wasn’t the only one capable of it, Pike was notorious for helping get their shit together again, Keyleth didn’t like to admit it but she was well on her way to being a leader, Grog was the one who helped them realize the very clear and simple truths that they sometimes forgot, Percy was the dark soul who said things they didn’t want to hear but that sometimes needed to be said, even Vax was the impulsive and lovable wreck that everyone so eagerly bonded around. Vex wondered where that left her, what role did she play in a group that constantly made each other better.

Scanlan began to sing “Never Gonna Give You Up” at the top of his lungs to Pike and Vex’s shoulders shook with laughter as he serenaded Pike again. She didn’t realize that Scanlan had sized her up before choosing this song, seeing the look in her eyes grow distant and her smile fall a little as she looked around at her friends in the car. Then again, she wasn’t supposed to notice, she was just supposed to smile.

 

It was about two hours away from where they planned to hide the car that it sobered up. The music came to an end, people were paying more attention to their surroundings, they asked Percy what they should know before they walked in. It was no longer a road trip but a mission. Vex could feel Percy’s leg bouncing against hers but she didn’t draw his attention to it, it wouldn’t help him in any way if she did.

They drove the car out into the wooded area and tried to cover it as best as they could. They eventually realized that there was the possibility they would lose it and there was not much they could do about that.

“Are we getting into our costumes?” Grog asked once they were out of the car and he was stretching out all of the stiffness from the ride.

“We probably shouldn’t draw so much attention to ourselves,” Percy’s voice didn’t shake, if anything it had an even more formal and posh tone to it than it usually did. He stood straight with his hands behind his back. It would have been kind of hot if it wasn’t a little bit of a show. Well, it was still hot but also concerning.

Vex reminded herself that all of her friends were attractive and moved on to say, “Some of our costumes would help us hide better, but what about the others? Even if they walk in like this, nobody new has entered Whitestone in how long? We may get noticed anyways.”

“I have the perfect idea,” anytime Scanlan said that Vex was pretty sure Keyleth got heartburn. “I can make us look like dirty peasants.”

“I’m not sure they call them peasants anymore, Scanlan,” Keyleth pointed out.

“Dirty poor people then. And then we sneak in and we’ll just look like really gross people, nobody will look twice at us. And then we can find some empty building to hide in and come up with the next part of our plan.” That had been a point of contention in the car, but as it usually went there was no real plan.

“The Briarwoods will be waiting for us,” Pike said after a moment, “We can’t go in as ourselves.”

“I’ll make sure you’re still beautiful, Pike,” Scanlan promised and spread his fingers out in front of him as he looked at the others.

She laughed and tucked some of her blonde hair behind her ear, “Oh I uh, I think I should just blend in with you guys.”

Scanlan shrugged, “Suit yourself. Any specifics on how you guys want to look before I do this?”

They were all vague so Scanlan took some liberties. His favorite, by far, was that Grog looked like a butcher with a huge beard, blood stains on his apron, missing a finger or two, and had a potbelly. Vex was the only one who Scanlan didn’t happily take artistic liberty on. She asked for two crazy eyes, a hunchback, clawed hands with gnarly fingers and scrabbly hair. Scanlan, having theatre experience, had to give most of them a little direction. It seemed like Vex was in her natural habitat. She twitched occasionally, played up the hunch, added a little bit of a limp, and her tongue shot out every now and then to lick her lips in an insane old woman kind of way. Scanlan had never been more proud.

“I can’t keep it up all night, we have to find somewhere to lay low until tomorrow while we plan,” Scanlan said as they began walking towards the city limits.

Percy offered no help so Vex, dropping the shaky voice she had recently adopted, said, “We’ll figure it out once we’re inside.”

Keyleth, who was also a professional at worrying about Percy, agreed with her and said, “Let’s get into the city first, we can figure out what to do from there.”

They approached the city walls not long after that. They were tall and gray with no doors on this side and signs saying quarantine pasted onto the stone. And for a moment they all just stared at the wall, as if hoping it would just open up for them. It did not. And then Keyleth had a brilliant idea.

“Oh! We’ll just go under it!” Everyone just looked at her and blinked. It was late and they were exhausted and truthfully 70% of the time Keyleth was talking she didn’t make the most sense. So they all just waited for her to continue on, which she did without prompting because it was an idea that she was already fond of. “I can tunnel us under the wall!”

“Like mole men?” Scanlan asked with something verging on excitement.

“I mean…I guess? But I can move the earth under us into a tunnel and we can pop up on the other side.”

“Like mole men,” Grog agreed seriously. He crossed his arms and nodded and Scanlan took the same pose. They looked like a terrible boy band that had split up and they were the last two left. It was only made worse by the fact that Scanlan looked like a ten-year-old boy with a beret that he had been calling his revolution hat.

“Sure,” she said slowly. “We go under like mole men and then we look around for somewhere to spend the night and talk about what we’re going to do next.”

Percy cleared his throat as he shook himself back to the moment, “Yes. I think that will be fine. It will also give us a chance to look and see where The Briarwoods’ minions are now. There were four houses for close advisors and such. They will have people there who have information about what happened and where they are now.”

Pike had a curious look on her gentle but smudged face when Percy coughed. “Are you feeling okay, Percy?”

“I’m fine,” he assured her but there was something weak about his voice that worried Pike.

“I can do some healing on you, it’s no problem.”

He smiled for a moment, “You can if you really want, but I assure you it’s nothing. A cold at worst. Besides, it will only help our disguises, everyone is miserable, poor, and wet.” Pike had to give him that, it had been raining for close to two hours now. A cold was nothing to worry about at this stage. Still, it nagged at her. But it wouldn’t be the first time something stuck with her when it had no reason to (that guy was just too creepy for there to be only his wife’s ashes in that box) so Pike told herself that if Percy was sure it was nothing that she would believe him. Somewhere in the back of her mind she wanted to try anyways, but she doubted it would make her feel better. There was nothing unusual about coughing in this weather. That’s what she told herself at least.

Keyleth carved out a tunnel for them to crawl through and they popped up in a graveyard beside a church. Vax suggested they go in, which Percy and Scanlan agreed with. The women of the party looked it over, it was in obvious disuse and probably hadn’t been opened since the Briarwoods came all those years ago, and when they pushed on the door it didn’t budge. Vax began pulling out blades and Scanlan wiggled his fingers with purple sparks jumping off them as he readied himself to poof inside. Grog looked to Pike excitedly, hoping to get in on this stupid plan, but she shook her head and he frowned but didn’t say anything else.

Truthfully Pike wanted to go in too, she almost said it couldn’t hurt to check it out but Vex and Keyleth were already dragging the three boys away saying it wasn’t worth all the effort. Pike had to admit they probably had a point, they had more important things to be doing than this, so she helped them herd the rest away.

“The six of us seem to be a larger group than most around here,” Vex whispered to Percy as they walked down the side streets. People didn’t walk in more than twos or threes around here, and while they didn’t draw much attention there were certainly more eyes lingering on them than she liked.

“Perhaps it is best if we find somewhere to stay and only a couple of us scout the city,” he said as they passed by another person who looked at them with mild shock before quickly looking away like he didn’t want to risk being involved with just a look.

“That is probably a good plan,” Vax agreed. He seemed to come and go with the shadows, even his friends seemed to have a hard time keeping an eye on him. Except for Vex of course, who even when she couldn’t truly see her brother she knew where he was and what faces he was making at her. She had thought about making them invisible instead of Scanlan’s disguises, but six people was a lot and now that they had been walking around for almost forty five minutes and they would have to go out again, she was glad she hadn’t suggested it. Besides, she was enjoying being a crazy old lady.

Percy froze in front of her, Keyleth couldn’t hide her shocked gasp, Scanlan hissed the word fuck, and the others all reacted in their own ways. Vax with a little more violence, he was a man of vengeance and action, something Vex believed the Briarwoods would come to regret when she looked up to see what everyone else saw.

Seven bodies hung from a huge tree in the center of town. They wore cheap imitations of Vox Machina’s costumes. Clearly a message.

Keyleth’s voice was filled with pure, unfiltered, hatred and pain when she said, “They did this to scare us.”

“Look,” Pike whispered, her voice almost breaking as she pointed to the many pieces of rope attached to the same thick limb that the bodies hung from. It was obvious this was not the first time a message has been sent to the people of Whitestone.

“I say we kill ‘em,” Grog growled.

“I assure you,” Percy’s voice was deceivingly smooth for the anger rolling in him, “we will.”

“We have to help these people,” Keyleth wasn’t shooting down the killing those responsible for this but was trying to remind them that it wasn’t really that they had to kill anyone but that they were heroes and they had to make others safe. Keyleth remained their heart, even in their darkest moments she was the one who believed in the good they could do more than anyone else.

“Slaughtering them here and now will keep this city safe.” While Keyleth was the heart, Percy was the unthinkable truth that they also needed to be reminded of. Sometimes you can’t save them all, sometimes you have to do something unheroic to be the hero, sometimes you there is no good solution. Sometimes you don’t feel like the good guy.

“We should take them down,” Vax said. His voice was tense and his face was a disturbingly flat mask while he tried to control his anger.

“It will alert them that someone who doesn’t know the rules is here,” Percy said coolly. Once again, the terrible voice of reason.

“We can’t just leave them there,” Vax growled, “They’re there because of us.”

“They’re there because of the Briarwoods,” Percy corrected. “Sooner or later they would have found a reason to remind the people about what happens to those who don’t keep their heads down. If we take those people down, more will follow. Sooner rather than later.”

Vex wanted to agree with Vax, she wanted to cut them down and give them the respect they deserved. She wanted to follow her heart and do the right thing. She knew that luxury would only hurt more people so she held herself back. When this was done they could do it.

Scanlan cleared his throat, “Maybe we can talk about this back at home. Grandma is looking awfully tired,” he nodded his head to a guard that had just turned onto the street and had stopped to harass one of the people begging on the corner.

“Oh, yes,” Vex’s voice had a tremble and she hunched over and grabbed at her back, “I think we should rest for a while.”

Percy looked around nodded to what looked like was once a pub of some sort but the windows were boarded up and the sign was worn to the point where they couldn’t see what it was even called.

When the door didn’t swing open Vax discreetly slipped out a lockpick and in less than ten seconds pushed it open. Everyone quickly moved inside and Vax closed the door silently behind them before the guard even looked up to see if there was anything suspicious for him to investigate.

The room was dark and the furniture was coated in a heavy layer of dust. There was nothing left for food or water, not even any ale, but they had come prepared for that. Vax peaked through a crack in the wood over the windows and said, “If we set up in the basement we can turn on some lights and we can set up some sort of trap in case people come down the stairs.”

“Who’s going with Percy to do some recon?” Keyleth asked.

“Vax probably should,” Pike said, “and Vex. She can turn them invisible if something goes really wrong. They’re probably the stealthiest though.”

“What I they need some muscle?” Grog asked, “Y’know, in case something goes wrong?”

Percy’s smiled weakly (though it wasn’t right on a face that didn’t belong to him), “Tomorrow, Grog. There will be plenty of action then. Besides, it’s better you’re here in case someone finds out where we’re hiding.”

Grog didn’t seem to totally buy it, but he did agree and followed Pike downstairs to see what they could do down there.

“You sure you don’t want more backup?” Scanlan said and flashed some purple sparks to illustrate his point.

“You might need more than just the three of you if they catch onto you,” Keyleth agreed quietly.

Vex smiled softly, though it didn’t look soft at all with one eye looking left and the other looking right, her hunch, claw-like hands, broken and crooked teeth, and just the generally horrifying picture that was Vex’s disguise. Keyleth still understood what she was trying to do though when Vex touched her arm and said, “Don’t worry. We’ll draw less attention like this and I can get us out of there if something happens. We’re just looking around, we’re not doing anything stupid yet.”

Scanlan chuckled, “Save the stupid stuff for tomorrow when we’re all there.”

“I’m sure there will be plenty to go around,” Vex said and then looked to her brother, “I’ll make sure he doesn’t try and hog it all tonight.”

“We should get going,” Percy said. There was no argument against it, so they began to leave.

Before they reached the door Keyleth caught Vex’s arms, “I’m serious,” she said quietly as Vax peeked outside to make sure it was safe to leave, “be safe. And keep an eye on Percy. He doesn’t seem…well.”

Vex looked at the figure who stood like Percy but looked nothing like him, “I know. And I will.” She almost reminded Keyleth about everything that had been going on and how it was likely affecting him, how it was expected for him to be having a difficult time, but she knew she didn’t have the time and…well she didn’t entirely disagree.

The four houses Percy had mentioned were close to each other and Vex was able to get an answer from one of the kids around which one was which. They said Anna Ripley, The Doctor, hadn’t been seen coming home for over a week. The other three were still living their terrible lives as usual.

The kid left saying something about how he had to finish getting enough money or food to pay Sir Kerrion Stonefell before he took his grandmother and punished her for falling behind. He sounded like a ruthless man and Vex almost gave him her entire purse right there. Instead she looked at Percy after the boy ran off and said, “He’s got this city under his thumb.”

Percy nodded, “We’ll take care of him,” he promised, and that was enough for Vex.

“Are we ready to head back?” Vax asked when they finished a basic look at the houses. It helped to know who was in which one.

Percy reached into his pockets and felt for a piece of paper he had folded up. He looked down one of the streets and said, “There is one more stop I would like to make first. There is someone here who I think can help us when it comes time to take care of the Briarwoods, or at least help the people.”

He led them to another temple. The windows were intact except for one which was boarded up and the door swung open when they pushed it. Inside was a balding man with a thick white mustache. He wore old gray robes and was standing behind a chipped stone alter. He gave what would have been a rousing speech about looking out for one another and seeking solace in friends and loved ones. He talked about how people should bind together in times of great hardship and of being careful of angering those who have immense power over you. It was obvious that the speech was meant to give people hope but that this man was also trying to keep his flock from getting themselves killed. It would have been a great speech if there had been more than four people sitting in pews to listen to it.

His sermon came to a close and the four bowed their heads and prayed silently while the older man came over to greet them.

Keeper Yennen was almost exactly how Percy remembered him. Generally a good person but a bit of a tool. Back when Percy’s family was in charge Yennen had been a perpetual thorn in their side. The de Rolos weren’t there to take advantage of the people and they did a lot to make good lives for the people in town, but Yennen was a strong-willed and enormously stubborn man along with being a douche. Percy never liked him much.

Despite his personal feelings, Percy knew Keeper Yennen mattered to the people here, maybe now more than ever. He may have almost no one in these seats but Percy doubted it was because they didn’t listen to him or didn’t want him to guide them, but rather that he had gotten them into some sort of trouble in the past. Yennen was not the kind of man to take the Briarwoods sitting down, not at first at least, and Percy had a gut feeling that there would be many people who Yennen was thinking of when he reminded these few not to anger the Briarwoods. Many lives that Yennen was likely blaming himself for. The ropes on the tree spoke volumes about those who dare speak up against them.

“It has been a long time since I saw any new faces here. Whatever has brought you here, whether it be hope or sorrow, we welcome you.” The Keeper’s hand grasped Percy’s shoulder and he smiled at the twins who looked like a grandmother and her son who probably had a drinking problem. “We are a resilient people, remember that. Whitestone sprang from nothing and it still has a long and great destiny to fulfill. It may feel like a prison today, but soon the world must see what is happening in these walls.”

Percy thought it was a bit long winded, but if that was got people through the day who was he to judge? He had a list of names that got him through his. “Do you think there will ever be a day where the people take their happiness for themselves?” Percy asked casually.

Yennen, understandably, looked at Percy with suspicion before answering. “I hope that one day someone from the outside will see our plight and help us. The way things are now I fear that many will die if we try to do it ourselves.” Yennen dropped his hand and gestured to the pews. “Have you come to pray?”

Percy chewed his lip for a moment. “I pray that one day strangers will come and bring these people salvation and that the people will see it and seize it.”

Yennen’s eyes narrowed again. “You speak with a lot of confidence for people who are strangers to me.”

Percy grabbed Yennen’s shoulder this time and smiled, “Look for signs.” His other hand pressed the folded slip of paper into Yennen’s.

“For what?”

Percy licked his lips, smiled, and said, “For salvation.” With no other explanation he turned and began to walk towards the door with Vex and Vax following after him.

“Wait,” Yennen called to them. Percy stopped but didn’t look over his shoulder until Yennen said, “What does this mean?”

The old man was holding the unfolded piece of paper with the sun and stars that had once been plastered all over the city. The de Rolo crest that they had used as the logo for the Whitestone Mines and Lumber business. Percy looked over at him, the gray eyes of the disguise seeming more blue in the lighting as he said, “That maybe…things you thought had died and gone may rise again.”

Yennen gave them another hard look, but they were disguised as dirty and gross people from the street, nothing like the heroes or rich boy he may have recognized. He then quickly looked around the room, the four followers still praying quietly and not looking like they had heard a word. He tucked the note into a pouch on his side and hurried away to one of the others without saying goodbye.

“What was on the paper?” Vex asked as they walked back to the tavern.

“The de Rolo crest,” Percy answered quietly to avoid being overheard.

“I hope we can trust him then,” Vax muttered.

Percy nodded, “We may not have liked him much, but he was an important cornerstone of this community. There is probably not anyone left who cares for these people so deeply.”

“If you say so,” Vax didn’t sound so sure, but Percy knew these people better than he did and he had no choice other than trusting him in this moment. He did make a note to keep an eye out for anyone who seemed to recognize their disguises.

When they told the rest of their friends about the houses and the kind of man Kerrion was, there was no question about how he had to be first. The others were terrible too, but this one thrived off of others fear and had little power to back it up. Everyone was on board with this man being the first one that the heroes took care of. After that decision was made, things got a little more…charged.

“We don’t just kill people, Percy!” Keyleth was appalled, and understandably so. She signed up to do the right thing, murder was not what she had in mind.

“We have before,” Percy snapped back.

Pike shifted uneasily, “Keyleth’s right though, this is different.”

“We don’t have the option of taking this guy in custody and bringing him to the station,” Scanlan pointed out.

“We could tie him up or something, I don’t know!” Keyleth threw her hands up in the air in frustration.

“They’re bad guys, ain’t they? What’s the problem?” Grog was geared up to go, Pike had given him his warpaint that he wanted, despite her reminding them that they would be disguised for the whole time.

“The problem is we shouldn’t just—just kill people! It’s one thing if we need to do it, but we’re planning it right now.”

Vax pulled his hair back into a ponytail and looked his daggers as he spoke, “I don’t have a problem with this. We don’t have a better option right now and it’s for the good of the people. But Percy,” Vax looked up to meet Percy’s eyes, “remember why we’re doing this. We’re helping the people here, not trying to become _them_.”

Percy glared back, “If you think I have intentions of becoming like the Briarwoods then you really haven’t thought about why I wanted to come here.”

“It’s not your intentions I’m worried about,” Vax was quite a bit shorter than Percy but that didn’t seem to matter in this intense stare down, “it’s what happens when this is over.”

Percy clenched his hands into fists and opened his mouth to say something undoubtedly witty and cutting, but Vex jumped in first. “We don’t have any other options right now. We’re going to help these people, start a revolution and defeat the villains and all that, that’s what heroes do. So you two just stop,” she glared at her brother and Percy (who she noticed purple smoke beginning to trickle from his hands). Then she stepped over to Keyleth and put a hand on her shoulder, “This isn’t the best option, but they’ve killed a lot of other people and look around this place, they’re responsible for a lot more than that. We have to handle this now. We don’t have the luxury to wait for this to be done.”

Keyleth folded her arms over her chest. “I know. I know—I just, what makes us any different from them if we start planning to kill people?”

“We’re doing whatever it takes to save these people. Sometimes we have to play a little dirty to give others a life.” Vex sighed and looked over at Pike. Keyleth was easy to talk to, she understood even when she didn’t want to, she just felt like sometimes she needed to speak up, nobody blamed her for that. Pike was harder because, well what could Vex say to someone who she looked to for advice? Every single person in this room looked to Pike, to the point where if Pike said they couldn’t kill this person they wouldn’t. Vex believed even Percy would have conceded and found another way around it.

Pike was frowning and staring at Percy intently. “I’m just worried about you, Percy. Are you doing this for the right reasons?” There it was. It wasn’t what they were going to do, but like Vax (though in a less aggressive way) she was worried about where Percy was going. Vex understood that, he had a certain…darkness in him lately. She had a slightly different reaction to it than the others, it seemed.

Percy nodded, “I abandoned this city. Look at it, it’s hell. I have the power to save them now, I have the power to stop the Briarwoods and Ripley and the others from ever doing this again. I know it looks like I just want their heads on a platter and…” he closed his eyes and took a breath, “that is most certainly part of it. But there’s more than that. I’m trying to protect people.”

Pike walked over to him and grabbed his hands. “Okay, Percy. Keep that in mind. I don’t want to lose you, you’re a good man.”

Vex’s heart felt tight because Pike was right. Percy was a good man. Maybe he was cynical and maybe he believed a little too harshly in doing whatever it took, but Percy was good. And strong. And caring. And reliable. And funny, gods he was funny. And—and—well Percy was so much. Sweet and cute when he had just woken up and his hair was sticking up in ridiculous directions and his glasses were sliding down his nose, intense and focused when he was working on something, hot as hell with that bad boy vibe Vex had always been enormously attracted to when smoke was coming from him. She’d always felt a pang in her chest when he was around.

Vex cleared her throat and looked away. She attached her quiver to her belt so it sat comfortably at the small of her back. She couldn’t think like that. If this was one of the old superhero comics Percy would be the main character. She would be one of the side members of his team. Vex knew there was little reason why a main character would fall for the Hawkeye of the Avengers movies. Besides, it wasn’t worth the awkward dynamic the inevitable heartbreak would bring. It was best to focus on the next step.

“We should go, it’s well past sunset and it’s best if we’re out of there before sunrise.” Vex said decisively now that everyone was on the same page.

Scanlan snapped his fingers and she looked like a crazy old woman again. It was much easier to hide her lingering glances at Percy when her eyes were looking in two different directions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PS I love Hawkeye and that's kind of the point


End file.
